A new book titled “Hidden Tribes: A Study of America’s Polarized Landscape” purports to show that Americans are more politically alike than they are different, that a vast majority of Americans reject “PC culture,” and that fewer people have truly radical political beliefs than it may seem.
The Atlantic reports that the book is based on a study conducted by More in Common, an organization charged with bringing British citizens together in the wake of MP Jo Cox’s murder at the hands of a pro-Brexit extremist. The study involved more than 8,000 Americans and had some surprising results.
“According to the report, 25 percent of Americans are traditional or devoted conservatives, and their views are far outside the American mainstream. Some 8 percent of Americans are progressive activists, and their views are even less typical. By contrast, the two-thirds of Americans who don’t belong to either extreme constitute an ‘exhausted majority,'” The Atlantic reports.
For most of that 66%, the tone of American politics is simply too polarized, and both parties lack the necessary flexibility to handle the country’s most pressing issues.
There is one thing that seems to unite even more than that two-thirds, though: a lack of interest in “political correctness.”
“Among the general population, a full 80 percent believe that ‘political correctness is a problem in our country.’ Even young people are uncomfortable with it, including 74 percent ages 24 to 29, and 79 percent under age 24. On this particular issue, the woke are in a clear minority across all ages,” the study found.
African-Americans, who researchers found were the group most likely to support political correctness, still rejected the idea of a PC culture 75% to 25%. Native Americans were, in contrast, the least likely group to support PC culture; nearly 90% of Native Americans surveyed said they struggled to understand the concept of political correctness.
Overall, More in Common found that what we think we know about political tribes seems to be all wrong. Races, ages, creeds, and classes split very differently than the group expected … except, of course, for progressives. According to More in Common, progressives are the single most racially-homogenous group, “more likely to be rich, highly educated — and white.”
The researchers do admit that the study has some shortcomings: they struggled to come up with one, single definition of what “PC culture” actually is, and every group seemed to define it slightly differently for themselves. They also note that your political tribe has a marked impact on your political beliefs, and people who live in “bubbles” tend to reinforce each other.